The former corporate officer of a produce vendor in Johnson Creek, Wisconsin, pleaded guilty on February 13, 2018 to tax evasion.

According to the indictment and information provided to the court, Thomas G. Paine, 64, was the Vice President and Treasurer of G.W. Paine Inc., which sold fresh fruit and other produce under the business name Tree Ripe Citrus Company. Paine was responsible for the finance and tax aspects of the business, but failed to file corporate tax returns for tax years 2010 through 2012 and concealed the business’ income from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) by structuring cash bank deposits in amounts less than $10,000 to evade bank reporting requirements. Paine admitted to causing a tax loss between $250,000 and $550,000.

Paine faces a statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison, a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Zuckerman and U.S. Attorney Blader commended special agents of IRS Criminal Investigation, who conducted the investigation.